Codsall
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Codsall is a large village in the South Staffordshire district of Staffordshire, England. It is situated north west of the city of Wolverhampton.
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[edit] History
In 1086 the Domesday survey recorded six people in Codsall. They were probably the heads of households so the population would have been a little larger. The Church of St Nicholas is the oldest building. It has a Norman doorway thought to date from the 11th century. Since medieval times the area around the church, on the top of the hill, was the hub of the village with a windmill, village pond, forge, bakery and public house. The administration of the village would have been conducted from the Church through the decisions of the Vestry. Agriculture was the mainstay of the village and even now the strip-field system of cultivation can be seen to the west and north-east of the church.
Church Street, now called Church Road, lies between the road junction and the Church. There was a significant change after Codsall railway station, on the Shrewsbury and Birmingham Railway, opened in 1849. The station became the commercial hub of the village with a goods yard, coal yard and cattle pens. Development took place along Station Road and beyond with some substantial properties being built to accommodate wealthy businessmen from Wolverhampton and the Black Country.
Gradually the focus of activity changed from the area around the Church and the station to the crossroads or 'Square'. Emphasis on the Square was increased after 1900 when Baker's Nurseries expanded on the site of Old Hall Farm in Church Street. The growth of public transport, with a terminus for buses to Wolverhampton in the Square, the coming of electricity and the digging of the deep sewer all in the 1920s, helped to change the function of the village from an agricultural centre into a dormitory for Wolverhampton. This has been reflected in the development of several housing estates, new schools and improved roads.
[edit] Present day
Codsall expanded considerably since World War 2, forming the largest part of three adjoining villages (the others being Bilbrook and Oaken). It is the site of the headquarters of South Staffordshire District Council. It is twinned with the French villages of St Pyrre and St Mesmin. The village also has a cricket club called Codsall Cricket Club (Codsall CC). There is also a 3-par, 18 hole golf course (The Ledene) and SAS paintball site.
The main shopping area around The Square has a variety of shops including a Local wine shop. Another shopping area is around Birches Bridge, where the shops include a Somerfield supermarket.
[edit] Education
Codsall has one High School (Codsall Community High) and has three feeder middle schools (Codsall, Bilbrook and Perton.) There are also 3 first schools (Lane Green, St. Nicholas' C of E and Birches) and also one primary school (St Christopher's).
[edit] Famous people
Famous people to have come from Codsall include the Ryder Cup golfer Peter Baker, the Countdown champion and writer Peter Cashmore, some members of the pop group Slade and Herman Von Krieg. Jack Charlton made his famous quote "Jack Charlton doesn't like change" in the Codsall working man's club in 1999.
In terms of military figures, the legendary Major Roy Farran of the SAS for a time lived in Codsall. His brother, Rex Farran, was murdered by an Israeli terrorist bomb at the family home in Codsall and lies in St. Nicholas churchyard.
[edit] Transport
There is a station on the Shrewsbury-Wolverhampton Line.
The station house on the Shrewsbury bound platform has undergone a renovation in recent years and is now home to a CAMRA award winning public house which opened in 1999 under the license of Holdens Brewery.
